Shatagni, or Shataghni, is a powerful and destructive weapon mentioned in scriptures in Hindu religion. It is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. As per Dhanurveda (an upaVeda part of the Vedas), ancient Hindu treatise on weapons, it was something like a catapult – may be a missile.
It is believed that Shatagni was a weapon that could kill 100 to 1000 enemies with a single stroke.
The weapon is mentioned in the Bala Kanda chapter 1 (5). It is said that the city of Ayodhya had tall walls with standards, surmounted by hundreds of Shatagnis.
This means that the weapon was something like a missile to protect the city from invaders.
It is not stone set round with iron spikes as claimed by western interpreters. It is clearly stated in many places that the weapon had the power to kill more than 100 people in a single stroke. So it must be some kind of weapon similar to a missile that had to do with fire or some other kind of energy.